When my friend Luca
Risso launched Vino
in Garage column we really didn't know how it would
be received. But it took only a few months to realize that
there was actually a fair number of fellow wine enthusiasts
and, in a short time a stimulating debate about sharing responsibilities
had begun. We don't really understand why "garage wine" sounds
so funny in Italian, when the same term in France - "Vins
du Garage" - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garagistes)
indicates a specific category of wines considered rare and
valuable. For them the important thing is not as much where
the wine is made, but how: nurtured and cuddled with the maniacal
care for which these micro-vintners are renowned. Certainly
we didn't want to go that far; after all the French "garagistes"
movement is actually composed of real producers with real
(albeit small) farms.

Here is the amateur vintner ("garagista") we have
in mind:

a) he/she is a true amateur
b) is a non profit wine producers
c) has no tax code number and is not backed by a commercial
vinery

How it works

TerroirVino, along with Vinix Unplugged is an event characterized
by the ability to involve the majority of the Italian wine
& food blogosphere. It's a tasting moment of course, but it
is also an opportunity to make direct comparisons and to establish
relationships between the various actors in the industry.
Thus we decided to create a little "contest" for amateur vintners
to coincide with the first day of TerroirVino. All interested
amateur vintners can submit their samples to the TigullioVino
Commission (the same one that selects wines for TerroirVino),
which will then select the best ones.

The amateur vintners selected by the Commission will be asked
to participate in person at the final selection (Sunday,
June 21 2015, the first day of TerroirVino) both with
the commission at Villa Lo Zerbino. In the same spirit of
utmost informality that characterizes the event, the winner
will be awarded at the end of the day with a free exhibition
stand at TerroirVino where they will have the honor (and the
burden) of facing the opinions of bloggers and wine lovers,
alongside with the professional producers.

Given the small amounts produced by amateur vintners,
they should guarantee a minimum of 1 bottle for TigullioVino.it
tasting panel (capped with silicone plug to avoid bad surprises)
and at least 6 bottles for Terroir Vino.